2015 Solar Bill HB 57 & Solar Power Update

Solar Bill HB 57 has unanimously passed both the Georgia House and Senate. Georgia homeowners and business owners will now have the choice to install solar systems on their property without upfront costs. Southface worked with the utility, solar industry and other clean energy advocates to get this historic legislation passed. The use of free-market tools, not previously available in Georgia, greatly expands the solar options for Georgia consumers. It is a new day for rooftop solar in Georgia.

Solar Power Southeast
Southface is a proud partner of Solar Power Southeast, a one-and-a half day regionally-focused event that will address forward-looking and in-depth discussions on policy, regulatory and technical topics facing the industry in the Southeastern United States, with a particular focus on Georgia, Florida and the Carolinas. The event will be held on May 7-8 in Atlanta.

To register for this event, please go to: Solar Power Events and enter discount code SPSE15SF to receive a 15 percent discount. Registration prices increase this Friday, April 3, so register today!

EnvironMentors Awards $10,000 Emerging Leader Scholarship

Top placing students from each EnvironMentors chapter travel to Washington, DC to compete for these college scholarships at the annual EnvironMentors National Fair. The 2014 Fair was held on Monday, May 19, 2014, at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C.  Environmental Attorney Michael Carvalho, past Chair of EnvironMentors Advisory Board and Member of the Board of the National Council on Science and Environment, was honored to serve as Emcee.

The EnvironMentors Emerging Leader Scholarship is the top scholarship awarded by EnvironMentors in the amount of $10,000. This scholarship is granted to an EnvironMentors student who is a graduating senior, has participated in EnvironMentors for at least two years, has been admitted to college, demonstrates a genuine commitment to the environment, and who, as a result of their participation in EnvironMentors and other related experiences, has decided to pursue and environmentally-related college degree program.

The 2014 EnvironMentors Emerging Leader Scholarship was awarded to Marcus Padia.  As part of his project, Marcus built a scale model of his own wind turbine design and sought assistance from a local manufacturing company when the initial proto-type did not work as intended.  He worked nights and weekends in a restaurant to earn funds for his project materials.  Marcus participated in EnvironMentors for four years in High School, and was the 2013 recipient of the National Ronald M. Carvalho, Sr. Environmental Policy Award in connection with this project on community support for Wind Turbines in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  Marcus was recognized for his sincere interest in engineering and science, and his ambition to study and pursue STEM related programs for the betterment of his community.  Marcus, a first generation immigrant, has been accepted to Colorado State University where he plans to study Environmental and Electrical Engineering and pursue his interest in wind turbine design.

For more information about the EnvironMentors program, please visit www.ncseonline.org

“Underwater in Salem Sound” – Environmental Lecture Series

MARBLEHEAD, MA – On Wednesday, February 26, 2014, Environmental Attorney Michael Carvalho will attend the Salem Sound Coastwatch lecture series, “Underwater in Salem Sound. In this lecture series, which will be held the last Wednesday of the month January through April, experts will explore life in local coastal waters.

The Lecture Series is part of a MET (Massachusetts Environmental Trust) grant awarded to Salem Sound Coastwatch to study the issue of turbidity in Salem Harbor over the next two and a half years.  Turbidity, which is cloudiness in the water column, affects the ability of the water to sustain marine life.

On  January 29, 2014, Dr. Robert Buchsbaum, conservation scientist with Mass Audubon, gave an illustrated presentation on the fascinating arctic birds that are only visible in Salem Sound during the winter. These seasonal guests come to local waters for the abundant food provided by Salem Sound’s fish, snails, mussels and underwater plants.

Then in February, Dr. Brad Hubeny, professor of geologic sciences at Salem State University, will talk about “History Revealed by the Sea Floor.” Hubeny’s research includes using sediment records to reconstruct pollution and human influence on natural water bodies.

In the third session, “Changing Climate, Changing Fishes,” Dr. Mike Armstrong of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries will talk about the decline of flounder, the burgeoning squid population and the changing species of fish resulting from changing water temperatures.

The series wraps up in April with “Shellfish, Shellfish Everywhere and Not a Clam to Eat” — a look at Salem Sound’s productive, but not edible, shellfish beds, by Barbara Warren of Salem Sound Coastwatch.

“Salem Sound’s natural resources play a huge role in the ecological, social and economic life of our region,” said Warren, Coastwatch’s executive director. “This is a wonderful opportunity to learn about our great neighbor, the ocean.”

To learn more about this lecture series, please go to: Underwater-in-Salem-Sound Lecture Series.

This Lecture Series is funded in part by a grant from the Massachusetts Environmental Trust (MET).  MET is funded through the sale of environmental license plates. Every Massachusetts driver who purchases one of the “Preserve the Trust” license plates is contributing to the Trust and to the state’s environmental well-being.

 

Recent Environmental Regulatory Changes

ATLANTA, GA – Attorney Michel Carvalho presented a seminar on recent environmental regulatory changes to the Alliance of Hazardous Materials Professionals in Atlanta, GA on February 19, 2014.  The title of the presentation is “Assessing the Impact: ASTM E1527-13 and EPA’s Final Rule on AAI”.  The presentation is available for download in pdf format. Assessing the Impact of ASTM E1527-13 – FINAL

METRO ATLANTA OFFICE

707 Whitlock Ave, SW | Suite E-19 | Marietta, GA  30064


BOSTON COASTAL OFFICE

Post Office Box 1584 | Manchester, MA  01944


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